Concrete wall construction



F. B. SMITH.

CONCRETE WALL CONSTRUCTION.

AHPLICATTON FILED Dc.17. 1919.

1,359,283', Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESS IN VEN TOR i- M @ELM faul. QM'

WQM BY 6M... am.

M A TTORNE YS F. B. SMITH.

CONCRETE WALL CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATIUN FILED DEC. I7. 1919.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

7g4/I A TTORNE YS FRANCIS BETTS SMITH, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CONCRETE WALL CONSTRUCTION.

Speciication of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1e, 1920.

Application led December 17, 1919. Serial No. 345,627.

To all whom z't may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANCIS BETTs SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Concrete Wall Constructions, of which the following is a specification.

lThe hereinafter described invention relates to concrete wall construction generally, but more particularly to retaining walls, dams and similar barrier concrete constructions, or those wherein the wall is formed in sections. With such constructed walls the weakest portion thereof is at the point of union between adjacent sections, and to compensate or to provide an allowance for expansion and contraction at such points, due to the varying strains placed thereon, either as the result of settlement of the wall structune, or varying strains placed thereon, there is usually provided between the ends of adjacent wall sections what may be termed a packing joint., Ordinarily this packing is formed by applying to the finished end of one wall section a plastic covering or coating of bitumen, prior to the construction of the adjacent wall section, which wall section firmly bearsA or adheres thereto, although, in some instances copper or other metal has been utilized as a stop-water in connection with packing joints. However, in all of these formed or constructed packing joints, no provision has been made to repair a fractured or broken packing after the completion of the wall or barrier, that is to say, in case the barrier or wall structure should give out at the joint of the wall sections. no means have been provided to close or seal the joint after a rupture or breakage so occurring, so

that where the barrier or wall is utilized for the confining of a body of water, there will in such instance be leakage at the joint.

The present invention has for its object to provide a flowable packing between the joints which packing on the application of heat thereto will readily iow between thel joints of adjacent wall sections and hermetically seal or close' the same, the arrangement and construction of the lowable packing and the means for applying heat thereto being such that at any time'after the completion of the wall structure the said packing may be flowed to fill and hermetically seal the packing joint between the wall sections after the breakage or rupture thereof,

occasioned either by the varying strains to n which the wall is subjected, or the contraction of the sections due to climatic changes, or which maybe produced due to a settlement of the wall structure.

In order to comprehend the invention reference should be had to the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein,

Figure l is a vertical sectional view of a retaining wall taken through one of the joints thereof, flowable packing blocks in position and the means for applying heat for the melting thereof.

Fig. 2 is a broken top plan view of the wall at adjoining end sections thereof.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the flowable packing blocks.

Fig. 4 is a broken end elevation of one of the wall sections illustrating the vertical groove or channel formed in the face thereof for the reception of the packing blocks, the blocks positioned therein, and tle steam supply pipe for applying the blocks.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 illustrating the flowing of the packing blocks.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 isused to designate o ne section of a retaining wall and 2 an adjacent wall section, in the present4 case disposed as a longitudinal wall section. although, the relative disposition of the wall sections is van immaterial feature.

Each section, in the present case, has formed in its end face wall a plurality of vertically disposed registering grooves or channels 3, within which are fitted or seated a series of vertically disposed flowable packingblocks 4, preferably formed of bitumen` said blocks being provided with a vertical bore 4 y fitted over the vertically disposed spaced steam pipes 5, 5 which are connected at said View illustrating the heat for melting so as to permit of the same being their lower ends by theunion 6. so that the 'is provided to receive the concrete for the construction of the wall section 1, which form is so arranged at the end thereof as to provide, in the present case, a pluralit of vertically disposed spaced grooves or c nels 3 in the finished end face of the said section when the form is removed. The entire exposed face of the end of the wall section is then preferably given a coat of bitumen or other plastic compound, after which the connected pipes 5, 5 are arranged in position, and the blocks 4 placed thereover as to lie within the grooves or channels 3 formed in the end face of the finished section 1 of the wall. The adjacent section 2 of the wall is then built up within a form similar to the one employed in the construction of the initial section 1 of the wall, the projecting portion of the blocks 4 forming the vertical grooves or channels 3 in the face of the end section 2 bearing against `the end face of the finished section 1 of the wall, the sections of the wall being thus formed for theI entire length of the wall structure. Under this manner or method of constructing the wall structure there is interposed within each joint of the wall sections a vertical series of flowable blocks 4, which after the completion of the adjacent wall sections are melted or rend ered plastic to the point of readily flowing by passing steam through the pipes 5, 5, the heat radiated from said pipes melting the packing blocks and causing the material to flow freely-to fill the space between the ends of the wall section, which, after cutting off the steam supply cools and hardens and by so doing hermetically sealing the joint. While steam has' been set forth as the means for melting the. packing blocks, it is apparent that any suitable heating medium may be'employed for such purpose. After a wall Yhas been standin for"`-some time, either due to settling, to'cllmatic conditions or to the varying strains to which such work is subjected, the 'oint of the sections break or separate an it is` necessary to repack the same to render the joint hermetically sealed. Under the present system of constructing such joints it is almost impossible to close or seal av fractured joint, but by the use of the present invention as there is always a body of flowable material within the vertical channel or channels of the joints of the wall sections, it is only required to apply heat thereto -in order to cause a flowing of the plastic material to close the break in the joint. In case the quantity ofpacking material remaining all* inthe vertical channel or channels of the end joints of the wall sections is not sufiicient to close the break in the packing after one or more flowings thereof, it is only necessary to apply other packing blocks thereto by placing the same over the pipes or guides 5 and 5. By this method a fracture of a joint may at any time after the completion i of the retainin Y wall be closed or sealed and thereby ythe li e of the wall structure prolonged 'at but slight'expense.

Preference is given to the utilization of bitumen as the packing material, although it is apparent that any other form of material fiowable under the application of heat may be employed for such purpose.v

While the invention has been set forth and described in its preferred embodiment, still I do not wish to be understood as. confining or restricting the invention, but on the contrary wish to be understood as claiming theI same as broadly as the state of the art will permit. y

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is:

1. A concrete retaining wall structure composed of independent sections, a flowable packing interposed between the end joints of -the wall sections, and means for heating said packing to cause the flowing thereof to seal the end joint of adjacent wall sections.

2.' A concrete retaining wall structure composed of independent ywall sections provided in the end facesrv thereof with vertically disposed grooves, a series of vertically disposed within said grooves of thewall sections, and means for heating said packing blocks to flow the same for hermetically sealing the end joints of adjacent wall sections.

3. The method of closing the end joints between sections of a concrete wall structure, which consists in intcrposing between the end joints during the formation of the wall sections a flowable packing, and heating the packing so positioned for causing a iowing thereof to hermetically seal the joint. Y

4. The method of hermetically sealing the end joints between sections of a concrete wall which consists in forming within the face of the ends of adjoining wall sections registering vertical grooves and fillingthe same with a fusiblel packing compound, then applying heat` to said packing compound to iow tween the ends of the `wall sections.

flowable packing blocks fitted the same to fill the space be- 5. The method of hermetically sealing the on said pipes blocks ofl fusible packing In testimony whereof I ,have lsigggned my positioned to lie between the end faces of name to this specicatlon in the presence of the Wall sections, and causing heat to flow two subscribing Witnesses.

through the pipes to melt the packing FRANCIS BETTS SMITH. 5 blocks and cause the same to flow to ll and Witnesses:

seal the joint opening between the sections HARRY A. TOTTEN,

of the Wall structure. D. B. RICHARDS. 

